


Two Steps Forward

by Tegaladwen



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, But No Excuses, Flash is a Kid Too, Gen, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Late Night Conversations, Mentioned Ben Parker, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25624081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tegaladwen/pseuds/Tegaladwen
Summary: On the one-year anniversary of Uncle Ben's death, Peter (as Spider-Man) runs into a distraught Flash Thompson who is dealing with his own family problems.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Flash Thompson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Two Steps Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place sometime after Spider-Man: Homecoming and before Avengers: Infinity War.

December 3rd. Peter truly hated December 3rd. He'd spent most of his day fending off a flood of memories that threatened to overtake him - the sound of a gunshot, the feeling of Ben's blood seeping through his fingers, Aunt May's tearstained face. It'd already been a year, but sometimes it still felt just like yesterday.

At Aunt May's request, he'd agreed not to go patrolling. She said it was because it was cold out, but that wasn't it. It was actually unusually warm for December, but Peter hadn't said anything. He knew it was because the thought of losing him to some maniac was more painful than usual tonight, Ben's death lingering closer to the center of her thoughts than it usually did.

However, she'd gone to bed at ten, and Peter had laid awake for hours. He'd waited until the clock rolled over to 1:00 in the morning before he'd finally given up and put the suit on. He needed a distraction desperately before deep-seated fear and sadness completely took over. So, he went out. Unfortunately, the criminals of Queens had apparently all decided to take a break. Outside of stopping a low-level car thief, there'd literally been nothing for him to do.

So, he'd ended up settling on top of a nice apartment complex that towered over the buildings around it. He sat on the edge, dangling his feet over into oblivion. He took his mask off so he could feel the wind on his cheeks. Now, he closed his eyes, trying to think of the happy moments he'd shared with Ben on days like these, before he'd gotten his powers and before everything had gone to shit.

"Spider-Man?"

Peter's eyes snapped open. His hands fumbled with the fabric of his mask as he clumsily pulled it down over his chin. He tucked his feet under him so they were no longer hanging off the edge of the roof while his heart hammered in his chest. He'd thought nobody could see him. In fact, he'd _made sure_ that nobody could see him. He'd triple checked, just like he always did before taking the mask off.

"I know you're not there, but… I don't really have anyone else to talk to, so I just figured… y'know."

Oh. _Oh._ Relief flooded Peter's system immediately. He hadn't been spotted.

"I just… well…" The voice struggled, and Peter couldn't help but listen. He'd wanted a quiet end to his night, but whoever this was sounded distressed. And young. And a lot like him when he was having a bad day. Actually, the kid sounded oddly familiar.

The voice sighed, then its owner muttered to himself, "This is stupid. You're stupid."

This guy clearly needed someone to talk to. He'd actually asked for Peter by name, sort of. And honestly, Peter could use someone to talk to too. He made a split second decision and jumped off the roof, feet easily finding the penthouse balcony. "Nope, not stupid. Turns out I was in the neighborhood-"

Peter abruptly stopped talking when he looked directly into the eyes of none other than Flash Thompson. _Ah, that's why he'd sounded familiar._

"Spider-Man?" Flash's eyes were so wide they would have been comical if they hadn't been so red.

Peter winced. He'd clearly been crying. Part of him, he was ashamed to say, was tempted to leave him there, tears be damned. The other, slightly larger part of him told him to stay. He cleared his throat and deepened his voice slightly before responding, "Um, yep, it's me. Spider-Man. And you are…?" He grimaced. God, could he be any more awkward?

"Holy shit. Holy shit, you're really here. Everyone at school is gonna flip. Um, I'm Flash. I'm like, your biggest fan," Flash responded breathlessly. He sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"Hi, Flash." Now that Peter knew who'd spoken, he wanted to get out of here as fast as he could. "How can I help you, exactly?"

The dejected expression returned to the boy's face. "Oh, it's nothing, really."

Peter was almost prepared to accept that, but he found himself responding, "It didn't sound like nothing." _Now who's stupid?_

Flash hesitated. "Nah, it's okay, I'm sure you have better things to be doing." He looked down.

Peter sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "Nope, I signed off for the night. I'm all yours." He sat down, got comfortable. _God damn it._ Next time Tony scolded him for his "ridiculous savior complex," Peter was going to listen. This was the last place he wanted to be, but Flash clearly needed help, and Peter just couldn't leave him, no matter how many times the kid had made fun of his clothes or his parents, or even shoved him into the lockers. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, okay." Flash looked at him warily. He looked down at his hands and twisted his fingers together. "Um, my dad got promoted."

Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes, even knowing Flash couldn't see his face. He was well aware of this fact. Flash had been talking about his father's cushy new job as VP of some company or other for the past few weeks nonstop. Peter said warily, "Oh. Good for him, I guess?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Flash paused as if wrestling with what to say next. "He's been really nice for the last few weeks." He glanced at Spider-Man, then looked away.

An uneasy feeling started to settle in Peter's chest. "Is he… still nice?"

"He's always nice to me. I mean, he's never _mean_ to me," the other boy responded, a little too quickly. "But he's not very nice to my mom, sometimes." He slouched. "He hits her, sometimes," Flash mumbled.

If Peter hadn't had super-hearing, he may not have heard it. But he did. So he heard every word. And he wished he hadn't. God, he wished he hadn't, because everything was starting to fall into place now. Flash had bragged so excessively about his dad's job because he thought it meant his dad would stop hurting his mom. Peter suddenly felt bad that he'd eventually snapped at him to shut up about it at Decathlon practice. "I'm sorry," he replied lamely, wishing he had something better to say. But to be fair, it's wasn't like he was equipped for this.

Flash gave a curt nod in response. "I could have stopped him tonight, but I didn't. I got scared," he said.

Peter shifted. "It wasn't your fault, Flash."

Flash just shrugged.

"Could you call the cops?"

Flash's upper lip curled in disgust. "They don't do anything. My dad has the money to pay them off. And my mom always defends him for some reason." A shade of his usual bravado crossed his expression. "But it's fine. I can handle it. If she doesn't want to do anything about it that's her problem." It was clear he didn't believe it.

"I'll talk to him, if you want," Peter offered, wincing even as he said it. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but he figured it couldn't hurt, even if he was way out of his depth.

Flash looked at him, bald-faced hope clear in his face. Peter'd never seen him like this. It was kind of freaking him out. "Really? You'd do that?"

"O-of course I would."

A ghost of a smile crossed Flash's expression. "Thank you, Spider-Man, that'd be great. But just, please don't hurt him. He, um, kind of hates you, so he might not listen."

Peter shrugged. "I can still try."

Suddenly, Karen's voice stated, "Incoming call from Tony Stark. Shall I answer?"

Peter jumped. "Ah, no, Karen. Actually, just send all his calls to voicemail until I say so. But, tell him I'm fine so he doesn't think I've been kidnapped or killed or anything."

"Okay, Peter." Her voice sounded softer tonight, almost like she knew what today was to him. Knowing Tony's ability to be far too thorough, she probably did.

At Flash's confused expression, Peter explained. "Sorry, I have an AI in my suit. I was um, getting a phone call. From… Iron Man."

Flash's expression brightened briefly before disappointment shone through. "Oh, you can take it if you have to. I don't want to keep you from anything."

"Nah, he can wait. I don't have anything better to d-"

"Wait! Do you know Peter Parker?" Flash interrupted. Hel looked mortified.

Peter shifted uncomfortably. His first thought was to say no, but he honestly just couldn't bear the punishment that he was sure would rain down on him at school. From Flash, who he was currently having a serious discussion with. God, what a weird situation this was. "...Yeah, I know him."

Flash's eyes widened. "You can _not_ tell him anything I said. If you do, I swear to god, I'll kill you. And then kill him. And all his nerd friends."

Peter winced. There was the Flash he knew and… greatly disliked. "I won't tell him." The irritation was clear in his voice. He wondered what Flash would do if he knew he'd been talking to Peter the whole time. Somehow, he doubted he'd make it out alive, even with the help of his powers.

"So I guess you've probably heard about me then."

Peter wasn't sure what to say to that. "I've… he's mentioned you a few times… at his internship."

"So it is real," Flash muttered to himself. "I hate him, you know," he said louder, defiance prevalent in his tone.

 _Yeah. I know_. "I've heard you don't… get along," he said uncomfortably. Peter felt a sudden urge to leave. He could fake another phone call from Mr. Stark, say there was Avengers business he had to take care of. Instinctively, he rocked up onto his toes, ready to swing away at any moment. He heard this crap enough during school. He didn't need to hear it as Spider-Man, too. Especially not today.

"He just has _everything_. But he acts like his life is so terrible."

" _What?_ " Peter said, forgetting to modify his voice. Luckily, Flash didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah. He has everything he could ever want but he still acts like he has it _so bad._ Like, he has his stupid friends that follow him around everywhere, and he has his Stark Internship, and he knows _you_ , and he misses as much school as he wants but always gets the best test scores and _never_ gets in trouble, and he always has his spot on the decathlon team even though he just skipped out on _Nationals_ when I'm there every practice and I actually study. And my mom is gone for work all the time, and my dad just ignores me while _Parker_ actually has an aunt who gives a fuck whether he's home or not." He crossed his arms defensively.

Peter was lucky Flash couldn't see his face, because if he could, he'd see Peter's mouth hanging open in shock. Flash was _jealous_ of him. Honestly, now that he thought about it, it was obvious. Mr. Stark had given him a lot. He _loved_ being Spider-Man. And he was so grateful to have people as great as Ned, MJ, and especially Aunt May in his life. But that didn't mean he had it easy.

Flash continued, "And I _know_ I make fun of him, but everyone gives him a pass just because his uncle died, but it's stupid. It happened, like, a year ago. He's fine. He doesn't deserve all that."

Peter's expression hardened. He'd just learned a lot about Flash, but mentioning Ben still crossed a line, especially tonight. He blinked back images of his uncle's lifeless eyes. "Hey," he said sternly. "You don't know what it's like to lose someone like that. And you don't know everything that goes on with him. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, you know." Peter was certainly learning that.

Flash looked taken aback at the change in tone. His expression darkened for a second, and Peter thought he was going to yell at him, but then he dropped his head into his hands. He said, "I know. I know. Nobody's life is perfect. I can't imagine being that dirt poor. I mean, he has to get all his clothes secondhand." Flash paused, but he didn't move. Sullenly, he continued, "And I… can't imagine not having parents, and it probably sucked a lot that his uncle got killed like that. And I know I don't make his life any easier…" He trailed off.

 _Understatement of the century._ Peter took a deep breath. That was the nicest thing he'd ever heard Flash say to him, which was kind of sad. But, it was also a huge improvement. He knew it never would have happened if it'd been Peter Parker and not Spider-Man sitting on this balcony, but he was learning that he wasn't the only one who wore a mask. Sure, Flash's involved being a cold-hearted bully, which royally sucked, but then again, his home life royally sucked. It wasn't exactly excusable, but it did make sense.

"Y'know, Flash, it's not like you don't have _anything_ Peter has."

Flash raised his head, looking every bit like a kicked puppy. "What do you mean?"

Awkwardly, Peter said, "Well, you know me now too. And, I'm sure you could make friends at school if you tried to be… nicer." He winced at the wording. This would have been a lot easier if he was talking to a supervillain.

Flash's expression brightened a little. "I guess that's probably true." He paused, expression morphing into something much more uncertain. "Have you… um, have you ever lost someone like that?"

Peter hesitated for a second. "Yeah, Flash. I have."

"What happened? I mean, if you don't mind me asking. You don't have to answer, though, if you don't want to," Flash rambled.

Normally, he wouldn't have responded. What the hell, this was _Flash_. He had no business knowing anything about Peter, whether he wanted to or not. But tonight… he hadn't had a chance to really talk about it with May; it was all still too fresh for both of them. Ned and MJ were definitely asleep. And as much as he wanted to talk to Tony about it, it still felt weird, and he didn't want to bother him, no matter how many times the billionaire had told him it was fine. Flash was probably last on the list of his possible confidants, but this conversation hadn't been terrible so far, and Flash was here, and he was listening. "Um, my… someone really close to me got killed last year."

"Oh. I'm… I'm so sorry," Flash responded honestly.

Peter smiled a little. "It's okay." It wasn't. "I… miss him a lot, but we had a lot of good times, and uh, he knew how much he meant to me. I still remember his voice…" He trailed off, the sound of Ben's last _I love you, Peter_ ringing in his ears.

Flash stared solemnly at him, and it hit Peter again just how awkward this was. "But, uh, don't worry about me, Flash. Things can be hard, but things can be good too, y'know?" _God, shut up Peter. You sound like an idiot_.

"I know," Flash answered sincerely, which made Peter feel a little better. After a mildly uncomfortable silence, Flash asked, "Hey Spider-Man, uh… could I get a picture?" He held up his phone.

"Sure thing," Peter responded, grateful for the change in topic. He and Flash both threw up peace signs for the phone camera. Suddenly eager to leave again, Peter said, "Listen, Flash, it's getting really late, and I really should be going. Where's your dad's room?"

Flash grinned and stepped aside so Spider-Man could enter the penthouse. "It's to the right," he said once Peter got to the hallway. Peter nodded and pretended not to notice Flash looking down at the picture on his phone like he'd just discovered buried treasure.

Before he could rethink it, Peter carefully opened the door to Flash's parents' bedroom. He shook his head, in awe that this was somehow how his night had turned out. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Both adults were asleep, Mr. Thompson taking up the vast majority of the bed while Mrs. Thompson lay in the fetal position on one side.

Peter flicked on the light before he had the chance to back out.

Mrs. Thompson jolted up immediately. She let out a scream when she saw him. Peter's heart clenched at the sight of the red mark on her cheek.

"Wha-" Mr. Thompson began, blinking wearily. Once his sleep-filled eyes focused, he exclaimed, " _Spider-Man?"_

"Wow, look at that, you got it on the first try!" Peter quipped, reveling in the fact he could use his normal voice again.

"I'm calling the cops," he said, fumbling for his phone.

Peter webbed his hand to his nightstand without a second thought. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Let me go!" Thompson yelled, pulling at the webs.

"A little late for that." Peter shrugged. "You're lucky I didn't do worse to you, Thompson. I don't like people who hurt their families. In fact, maybe it's _me_ who should be calling the cops." To Peter's great satisfaction, Mr. Thompson's face drained of color.

"Whatever you're thinking about doing-"

"Look man, I really don't have time for this, okay? All you need to know is that I'll be watching this house. If you ever hurt her again, I won't call the cops. I'll call the Avengers." Peter grinned as Mr. Thompson seemed to shrink in his frame. He glanced over at Mrs. Thompson. "You can do way better than this asshole, by the way." To Mr. Thompson, he sneered, "Those will dissolve in two hours." He gestured lazily at the webs, ignoring the way the man's eyes widened as he started tugging harder.

Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and left the room. He closed the door behind him. He stopped, cursed himself, reopened the door, and turned off the light. Not his smoothest exit, but he'd take it in a pinch. He returned to Flash's room, where the boy was sitting on his bed, still staring at the picture on his phone. He seemed to have zoomed in way too closely on Spider-Man's mask for Peter's comfort.

"Uh, Flash, it was nice talking to you. If you need any more help, I'll be… checking my Instagram DM's for your name," Peter said, taking care to deepen his voice again. He almost wished he had a secret spider-phone, but on second thought, Flash having his superhero number was probably not the best idea. His superhero Instagram, however… everybody had that. In fact, he was 100% sure Flash followed him.

"Y-yeah, okay, that's cool. Um, see you, Spider-Man. Um, thank you, really" he said, breathless.

Peter gave an awkward salute before walking through the door and jumping off the balcony.

He swung through Queens, making his way slowly towards home. He was almost sure May was asleep, but if not, he couldn't imagine the hell he was going home to. It was so far past his curfew that it was almost funny.

But for the first time ever, he was actually glad he'd talked to Flash Thompson. Even though he as Peter Parker could never tell him, he was grateful to understand more about the guy now, and even more grateful to have been able to put the fear of God into his piece-of-shit Dad. Getting a few words in about Ben had been more therapeutic than he'd like to admit, too.

"Peter, you have four missed calls from Tony Stark. Would you like me to call him?" Karen asked politely.

Peter almost missed the building he was aiming for. He'd completely forgotten. "Oh shit. Yeah Karen, please call him."

The call connected almost immediately. "Peter?"

Peter winced at the concern in his voice. "Hey, Mr. Stark!" he responded innocently.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you ignoring my calls?"

"I was just… out. I needed a break from… stuff." He knew his tone conveyed more than he wanted it to.

Tony's voice softened significantly. "Look, I know this is a rough day for you, kid, but next time, please give me some more information than a text from Karen saying 'I'm fine, I haven't been kidnapped or killed or something.' Y'know that's exactly what a kidnapper would say."

"I was on Spider-Man business, to be fair." It wasn't technically a lie.

A long, drawn-out sigh sounded in his ear. "You're going to give me a heart-attack, kid."

"Sorry," he said, and he really was. "Wait, Aunt May didn't call you, did she?"

Tony laughed. "No, kid, you're in luck. If Baby Monitor had said anything other than the fact that you're completely healthy, though, I was going to call her and make sure you experienced her wrath."

"You wouldn't."

"I absolutely would." A pause. "You sure you're alright, Peter?"

Peter sighed. "Yeah, Mr. Stark, I'm okay, considering. I… had a nice conversation with someone. A… neighborhood person. I'm heading home now."

"...Okay, kid. You know I'm here for you if you need it."

"I know, Mr. Stark. Thank you, really." Peter replied genuinely as he landed on top of his apartment building. He ended the call, climbed down to his floor, and opened his window as quietly as possible. He barely managed to get his suit off before he collapsed into bed out of sheer exhaustion.

* * *

"Hey Peter!" Flash called to him from across the hallway.

Peter was mildly surprised that he felt significantly less dread than usual when he heard that voice, but Ned groaned beside him. "What do you want, Flash?" Peter asked. He didn't even have to fake the exhaustion in his voice.

"I met your friend Spider-Man last night," Flash responded smugly, shoving his phone in front of Peter's face.

Peter fought back a smile as he saw the photo he'd taken with the other boy yesterday, posted on Instagram with the caption "Spidey dropped by to say hi. Knew he could sense awesome-ness."

Peter shook his head. "Nice," he said simply, unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah. He said he liked me better than you, by the way."

For the first time, Peter didn't hear the venom in his words. He rolled his eyes. "Did he really?" he asked sarcastically.

"You bet he did. We talked for like, ever."

A little too genuinely, Peter responded, "That's really cool, Flash." Flash raised an eyebrow in response, but accepted it without comment. He made his way past Peter, most likely to show someone else the picture.

Ned whispered, "Dude, did you really talk to Flash last night?"

Peter nodded. "It wasn't as long as he made it sound."

Ned shook his head. "That's insane. Why?" Peter shrugged. He didn't really have an answer. "Well, at least he believes you about knowing him now, I guess."

Peter hummed in response.

"Wait, dude," Ned exclaimed, putting out a hand to stop Peter in his tracks. "Did Flash Thompson just call you _Peter?_ "

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Just a couple things to note: Firstly, it was not my intention to absolve Flash of how he'd treated Peter and his friends in the past. I hoped to provide a possible explanation for his actions, but it was in no way my goal to excuse him; I hope that came across. Secondly, I know that Flash's dad is a cop in the comics. I chose to change that for this story because it worked with what I wanted to do (and I also haven't read the comics). I hope you don't mind! I hope you enjoyed; feel free to comment if you have any thoughts! :)


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